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A South Florida man faces multiple charges of animal cruelty after officials shut down a slaughterhouse described as "monstrous."

The Associated Press

MIAMI — A South Florida man faces multiple charges of animal cruelty after officials shut down a slaughterhouse described as "monstrous."

Miami-Dade police arrested 53-year-old Raul "Freaky" Fernandez on Wednesday following a joint, undercover investigation with the private group Animal Recovery Mission. The investigation was dubbed Operation Noche Buena, which is Spanish for Christmas Eve.

The Miami Herald (http://hrld.us/1fmAN87 ) reports the investigation found that pigs were shot, stabbed, beaten with sledgehammers, gutted and boiled while alive.

Miami-Dade County State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle said legitimate slaughterhouse operators wouldn't treat livestock in such a "ghastly manner."

Fernandez is being held in the Miami-Dade Jail. It wasn't clear whether he has an attorney. He's currently on probation for a marijuana trafficking conviction.

The Herald reports that illegal slaughterhouses have been common in western Miami-Dade County.